4/01/2016

A lot of the time when a sequel is announced for a film that doesn't necessarily demand one, it's met with extreme cynicism. However, that wasn't the case when word broke that development had begun on a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's gritty drug war thriller Sicario, mere days after it had a bang-up opening weekend. And while today is indeed April Fool's Day, it's not a joke that producers are indeed moving forward on the film, with all of the principle players set to return.

Producers Molly Smith and Trent Luckinbill spoke with THR and dropped the news of significant progress on Sicario 2, including on the screenplay by Taylor Sheridan.

Smith said, "We're in full development with the studio. I just got a draft [of a script from writer Taylor Sheridan], and we're really excited."

Luckinbill added, "Taylor's a really great world-builder. He's got that kind of modern Western voice, which is in vogue right now. And he did it again [with the sequel]. It's a great big world. We can't reveal the plot, but you'll see [Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin] all come back. You have such a great character with Benicio, who was as dark as he was and still so loved. That character resonates so well with audiences. People want to know what happened to him, so it's a perfect foray for us to explore. Obviously we would love it if Denis [Villeneuve] could [direct]. He's a busy man, but he's certainly part of the process with us right now."

Yeah, it's tough to see Villeneuve coming back with all he has on his plate right now. And while it's good that he's involved losing him as director would be a huge loss that makes this a little less promising, despite the talent elsewhere.